We are at the end of our first full day in Rwanda. We all got a great night's sleep last night - thanks to all who prayed for that! This morning we visited the women in the training program at the ANLM Dream Center. We will be spending a day with them later next week but it was great to meet some of them this morning. We were able to purchase some of the items they make and some of us are having dresses or skirts made. (Yes, Dave, even in Rwanda I still found a place to shop!) We also met and played with the Dream children. These are the street kids that the Dream Center ministers to. It was a blessing to see firsthand how God is working through ANLM.
This evening was the first night of the Women's conference back at the Dream Center. We arrived to the sounds of 500 Rwandan women praising God in song and dance. Although we could not understand the words, it was a joy to join them in worship. Enid was the first to speak and her message was full of grace, truth and wisdom, which perfectly characterizes Enid. The theme of the conference is "Woman, you are valuable", and both Enid's message as well as that of the other speaker, Grace from the UK, communicated how God loves each of us and we are all valuable in His eyes.
Dance is a big part of the worship experience in Rwanda. One of the highlights of the evening was some of the women from the training program singing and dancing for everyone. Seeing the joy of Christ on their faces was amazing. Another highlight was a demonstration of a traditional Rwandan dance as they sang praise songs. Many of the women attending the conference joined in and I even saw our own Enid dancing with our Rwandan sisters!
We ended our day together as a team sharing and praying. We are thankful for and humbled by the prayers of so many.
Bethany
Muraho! We are so excited to hear from you all. Know that we are praying for all of you; and that some of us are envious but OH so happy that you are experiencing God (through dance even) in Rwanda.
ReplyDeleteWhat a blessing to hear of our Lord being praised through song and dance. It's wonderful to hear that 500 women had an opportunity to hear of God's love for them as women, and that he sees them as worthy and wonderful creations. Keep sharing God's love ladies! I am one of the many praying daily for your trip and the women of Rwanda :)
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